Nap of the Day: Good Friday Fairy to deliver

There are five Friday meetings down for decision across the UK and Ireland, with Flat racing holding sway ahead of the start of the new turf season on Saturday. All-weather cards are from Lingfield in the afternoon, alongside Southwell and Dundalk later, while jumps action comes from Fontwell and Wetherby in the afternoon.

Friday's Nap of the Day has been in excellent form recently for trainer Ben Clarke and looks primed to complete a hat-trick at Fontwell in their feature race.

15:45 Fontwell Odds

Just shy of two-and-a-half-miles awaits the 12 runners in the Smith And Western Chase Series Final, a Class 2 handicap chase, and it can go the way of GOOD FRIDAY FAIRY for trainer Ben Clarke.

Good Friday Fairy @ 7/2

The eight-year-old is a veteran of 11 starts over fences and has now registered four wins and three more placed efforts in that sequence.

He arrives here in rude health following wins at Wincanton (2m4f, soft) and Taunton (2m5½f, heavy) in February.

The application of cheekpieces appeared to have a good effect in the first of those wins, as he could hardly have won easier, and he then backed that up from an 8lb higher mark 12 days later with the headgear retained, as it is now.

The form of that Taunton race is solid. The runner-up, Gyenyame, was second this week upped in trip at the same venue, while third home The Boola Boss scored at Newbury last week.

Today's Horse Races

Good Friday Fairy is 6lb higher for this assignment and the forecast 'good-good to soft in places' ground would be the fastest surface he has encountered, with all of his prior chasing experience coming on soft/heavy going.

Connections must have some confidence that quicker ground will be to his liking, and Sam Twiston-Davies is on board once again, seeking to maintain an unbeaten partnership together. In his current mood, this new mark of 116 shouldn't be the ceiling for his ambitions.

The opposition is potentially headed by Diplomatic Ash for Gary & Josh Moore, a winner of his last two starts at Fontwell over C&D and then dropped to 2m1½f.

He has found his form all of a sudden, but has a 7lb penalty to carry now and finds himself in a better race.

Charlie Longsdon's Zestful Hope is the other last-time-out winner in the field, having scored at Hereford last month. He's rated 5lb higher now.

Royal Mer for David Pipe has been knocking on the door lately and should go well, while Fame And Fun won here over further in January and wasn't beaten all that far in third at Ffos Las on his most recent start.

Good Friday Fairy is in the form of his life, however, and should he cope with the surface, is expected to complete a hat-trick of wins.